Dispensing-container.



W. A. KIRKPATRICK & G. E. POORMAN.

DISPENSING CONTAINER.

APPLICATION FILED APR.13,1912.

Patented Oct. 1, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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ATTORN Y6 W. A. KIRKPATRICK & G. E. POORMAN.

DISPENSING CONTAINER.

APPLICATION FILED APR.13,1912.

I ll Patented Oct. 1, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEBT 2.

WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DISPENSING-CONTAINER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 1, 1912.

Application filed Apri113, 1912. Serial No. 690,542.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLiAM A. Kinn- PATRICK and CHARLES E. POORMAN, residing in the city of Abbyville, county of Reno, and State of Kansas, have invented a new and Improved Dispensing-Container, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that classof containers more especially adapted for holding drinking straws, such as are served at drinking bars and soda fountains, and from which said straws are delivered singly from a closed receptacle. n

The primary object of our invention is to provide an appliance of the character stated, of a simple, ornamental, and economical construction, that serves to hold the straws and to discharge them while in their upright position, and for being Conveniently withdrawn by the user.

Another object of our invention is to provide a container operating under a plunger action, that automatically ejects a single straw under each plunger action and adjusts the remaining straws therein contained for being positively and singly engaged by the ejecting means under each return movement of the container.

Another and important object of this inyention is to provide a yieldable covering for the discharge of the container, and so arranged, whereby, while providing for the passage therethrough of the ejected straws, it acts as a guide for the straws while they pass up out of the container and as a closure for the straw discharge to render it dust roof.

'With other objects in view that will hereinafter appear, our invention comprises an appliance otthe character and for the pur poses stated, that embodies the peculiar and novel arrangement of the parts, hereinafter fully explained, specifically pointed out in the appended claims and llustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which I Figure 1 is a perspective view of our invention, and it illustrates the manner in which it is manipulated to deliver a straw. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same the parts being at their extended or normal position. Fig. 3 is a similar view the container being shown as partly lunged down to eject a straw. Fig. 4 is a orizontal section of the same on the line 1-4: on Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the container with the cap or top member removed. Fig.

6 is a detail view of the yieldable closure for the top or cap member. Fig. 7 is a detail sectional perspective view of one of the spring connections for the container or holder.

In carrying out our invention, the holder or supporting portion 1, together with the container, are arranged-in an upright position, and the ejecting. means is such that the straws are pushed out, one at a time, through the top or cap member of the container and to such an extent that they may be conveniently pulled out by the user, see Fig. 1.

The support or holder and the container may be made of sheet metal, but for sanitary body of the container of glass The supporting member or holder 1 is of sheet metal, of tubular form and is secured at the bottom to a solid metal base 11, of suflicient weight to withstand the impact of the container with the support, on the return or rebound movement of the said container; as will hereinafter more fully appear. The container 2, is of a diameter to freely fit and move in the holder 1 and to avoid undue rubbing of the glass and metal members, the

upper end of the holder 1 has a yieldable covering 12 of felt or other suitable material.

20 designates the bottom of the container, preferably a wooden member that is secured in the lower end of the glass container in any approved manner. The bottom 20 has a cone-shaped'or dished upper face and a and ornamental reasons we make the central aperture 21, for riding over a permane-ntly secured ejector 3, in the nature of a stout rod that is made fast to the bottom plate and has its upper end cone-shaped, as at 30, and normally projected flush with the centrally depressed portion of the container bottom, whereby, to be in position for riding into the open end of the selected one of the straws when the container 2 is moved or plunged down into the holder 1.

For rendering the container 2 dust proof and also to act as a guide for holding the straws at a substantially perfect vertical-position, as they move out of the container, a felt disk 4: is glued or otherwise secured upon the top 23, and over the outlet 24, and the said disk at its apex is crosswise slitted,.as at 40, to allow the straw pushing up throlugh the said disk. By reason of slitting the disk 4 as stated, the cut edges or flaps of the disk come together and form a closure for the opening in the top 23 and thereby excludes dust and dirt from entering the container through the said top opening, and further the said flaps act as a guide for the straw when the latter pushes out between them since they grip the straw undensuificient pressure to hold it to the center.

The container 2 is .normally moved upwardly and held to its extended position under spring tension and for such purpose we employ two coiled springs 5 that are op- I positely disposed and held within the vertically extended pockets 14, formed in the holder 1, the lower ends of which terminate at the long slots 15 and the upper ends at the hooks 16 that are formed by slitting the upper end of the holder 1 and bendin the cut portions inwardly. The upper en s of the springs are secured to the hooks 16 and the lower ends to the headed screw studs ,17, that ride in the slots 15, pass through apertures in the lower end of the container 2 and screw into the bottom 20 asshown.

From the foregoing taken in connection with the drawing, the complete construction, the manner of its use and the advantages of our invention will be readily apparent. The user simply has to plunge the container down into the holder, see Fig. 1, a distance sufiicient to cause the straw to push up through the top of the container, when it is gripped and held by the yielding disk covering, ready to be pulled out. When the container is released the springs 5 quickly moves it up until the studs 17 engage the upper ends of the slots 15, which not only holds the container'in proper position with respect to the ejector rod but creates an im-.

pact or shock sufficient to cause the lowerends of the straws within the container to seek the centerof the dished bottom and thereby bring one of them directly in line oser-5e with the conical end of the ejector, it being obvious that when the container is moved down, the cone end of the ejector fitting into a. straw, holds the straw up and'pushes it through the yielding covering 4, at the top.

While we have described our invention as especially designed for dispensing drinking straws, with slight modifications it may be well adapted for dispensing other singly dischargeable commod ties.

What we claim is:

1, In an apparatus as described, a container havinga dished bottom provided with a centrally sposed aperture, a holder for the container, means mounted in the holder and cotiperating with the container for normally forcing the said, container outwardly from the holder, a fixedly held ejector that extends into the central aperture of the container bottom for engaging a straw tohold it when the container is forced into the holder, said container having a conical cap provided with a central outlet for the passage of the straw held by the ejector, and a flexible coverlng for the passage slitted to allow the straw to frictionally pass therethrough.

2. Inan apparatus of the character described, a container having an outlet in the upper end and a dished incline tothe said outlet and a dished bottom, the said bottom having a central opening, a holder for the container, a plunger having a conical end that normally seats in the central opening in the ,7 dished bottom of the container and spring connections that join the holder and the' container for normally thrusting the container to its outermost position, said holder having laterally projecting chambered portions for receiving said spring connections and forming a housing therefor. 3. In a dispensing appliance of the character stated, a container having means at the bottom for directing the lower ends of the drinking tubes to the center of the bottom, said bottom having a central passage, the container having an outlet at the upper end, and means for directing the straw to be ejected toward the outlet, means over the outlet for frictionally engaging the projected straw, a fixed ejecting finger that projects into the passage in the bottom of the container and engages the inner edge of the lower end of the central straw, a holder for the container into which the latter is plungable, and means connected with the holder and the container for normally thrusting the container to its outermost'position.

at. In an appliance of the character stated, a holder, a container plungable into the holder, means coacting with the container for ejecting articles therefrom when it is thrust position, said means comprising vertically disposed pockets in the holder, said screw studs and the other end to the hooks pockets each being longitudinally slotted on the holder.

and having their upper ends formed with inwardly bent hooks, screw studs that pass through the slots and engage the base of the container and coiled springs that ride in the pockets and have one end secured to the WILLIAM A. KIRKPATRICK. CHARLES E. POORMAN. Witnesses:

CARL B. FOUNTAIN, JOSEPH F. WHETSTONE, J r. 

